Local Agricultural Community Exchange
Local Agricultural Community Exchange is an activist organization founded by Warren Zevon's daughter Ariel Zevon and others, dedicated to supporting family farming, farmer's markets, organic food, and urban/rural relations. History After Ariel Zevon and Ben Powel were married, they vowed to move to Vermont if they had children. After this came to pass they kept true to their earlier decision by moving to Barre, Vermont. Unenthusiastic by the unhealthy content of industrially processed foods she attempted to feed her family only local small farm produced foods. However, not being able to find a source for this year around kept her returning to the supermarket. She took a course on women in agriculture and looked into a lot on the town's main street that had became available. After much research, including attending farming conferences and meeting with local farmers, she surveyed the citizens of Barres on the viability of a year round farmers market. Soon after she set up a board. Thereafter she interfaced with people from various enterprises, volunteer and community groups and the government. After going through the processes, her Local Agricultural Community Exchange was granted offical non-profit status. Finally purchasing the available lot she sent out the call for volunteers to start renovating the space, and much help then dutifully arrived. To support the effort, Ariel's godfather Jackson Browne volunteered to play one and then another benefit concert. These concerts were quickly sold out in both occasions and many packed into the Barre Opera House. From there the organization has continued to grow. The Farm Fresh Cafe and Market were then founded, but due to legal red-tape were not legally the same entity as they were declared for-profit as they charged for food preparation or purchase. In 2009 LACE received a notable federal grant. In June 2010, after celebrating the organization's fourth anniversary Ariel announced that the Farm Fresh Cafe and Market were being sold off. This was motivated by financial, staffing and resource issues. Instead she and her volunteers have pledged to get back to basics and focus on expanding the various educational, support and activist missions of the non-profit. Ariel and her husband still work at expanding LACE, as well as a burgeoning group of volunteers. Goals * Fighting factory farming and promoting family farming. * Promoting organic and healthy food. * Promoting cultural exchange between rural and urban communities. * Fighting cruelty to livestock and other animals. * To exhibit, promote and display the work of local artists. Some other causes have been supported on the website, but are not official campaigns of LACE: * Supporting public health care ("health care as a human right"). * Supporting rights of women (particularly fighting against violence towards women). Farm Fresh Market Local Agricultural Community Exchange - LACE 159 No. Main Street Barre, Vermont (802)476-4276 Open Tues.-Fri. 8am-7pm; Sat. 9am-5pm; Sun. 10am-4pm. It was announced that both the Farm Fresh Market and Cafe were being offered up for sale due to financial, resource and staffing difficulties on June 28, 2010. They are still looking for a buyer for the lot and are expressing the desire to focus more on the non-profit side of the group instead of the for-profit Market and Cafe. In doing this LACE pledges to continue its education, support and other programs of its non-profit side. MEDICINAL HERB APOTHECARY A source for medicinal herbs was opened on December 19, 2009 with Rosemary Gladstar and the creators of the Vermont-made film NUMEN: the Nature of Plants. The apothecary was opened with the help of donations from Sage Mountain Herbal Retreat Center, Red Fox Herbals, Mandala Botanicals, Jane Hulstrunk, Vermont Healers.Org, and Dandelioness Botanicals. COMMUNITY HEALTH RESOURCE LIBRARY Next to the MEDICINAL HERB APOTHECARY, this section was installed to be a place "to research your herbal and holistic health questions." Farm Fresh Café Local Agricultural Community Exchange - LACE 159 No. Main Street Barre, Vermont (802)476-4276 Open Tues.-Fri. 8am-7pm; Sat. 9am-5pm; Sun. 10am-4pm. A public-use computer was added to the Farm Fresh Café. It was announced that both the Farm Fresh Market and Cafe were being offered up for sale due to financial, resource and staffing difficulties on June 28, 2010. They are still looking for a buyer for the lot and are expressing the desire to focus more on the non-profit side of the group instead of the for-profit Market and Cafe. In doing this LACE pledges to continue its education, support and other programs of its non-profit side. Events *Halloween Bash (2009) *LACE/Salvation Army Thanksgiving All Local Feast. (2009) *Taste of LACE (fourth anniversary celebration, June 28-30 2010) *Silent Art Auction (July 13, 2010) *Bad Boy Bistro (Fridays; cooked by transitional housing program kids) Foods From a Small World A series of foods offered at the LACE eatery based on various locations in the world. * Afghanistan * Congo * Turkey * Tanzania * Poland * France * Porto Rico * Tanzania II * Italy * Porto Rico II Fusion Nights Four week food specials by Adam Woogmaster, blending food types of two cultures. * Latin/Asian * Middle Eastern/Eastern European * Yankee/French * Ethiopian/Judean Other Menus * Sugar Mountain Farm Pig Roast * Foods From Another Planet! * Waffle Off! * Learn To Cook Korean Kimbap * Hungry Hunter's Breakfast * Harvest Dinner * Curry Night! * Canjun Creole Night * Comfort Foods * Valentines Day Fondues * Sandwich Cubano * Farm Fast Foods * Farm Fine Foods * Farm Family Foods Members and Contributors * Ben Powel (Ariel's husband) * Crystal Zevon ("czevon") * Bonnie Beede * Pat Sellitto works as an office assistant. * Adam Woogmaster has served as a chef. * Chang D'Agastino has served as a volunteer cooking instructor. * Jeff Dutton has served as a guest chef. * Danielle Pipher * "bman" (Ben Powel?) * Northfield Savings Bank has donated computer equipment. Board Members * Ariel Zevon ("azevon"), Executive Director and Founder. * Sarah Adelman, Chair (stepping down), 2008-Present. * Ela Chapin, Secretary & Treasurer. * Kris Cecchini, 2007-Present. * El’Anya Nightingale. * Therese Taylor. * Joey Klein, 2008-Present. * Sarah Phillips 2010-Present. * Derrick Semler. * Michael Waggoner. Associated Farms External Links * Offical Website * Index of news articles about LACE * Information about the LACE Eatery Category:Browse